So Your Spouse Is Having an Affair…A Practical Christian Guide

“Your knee-jerk reaction, many times, is to try to win them back.” You are dumb-founded. You can’t believe this is happening to you. You are stunned. Horrified. Shocked. You ask yourself, “What have I done to deserve this?” You have been working hard, taking care of the kids, attending church, paying bills, etc. You have been responsible. You ask yourself, “How could they do this to me? To our family?” Thoughts are racing through your mind.

Your spouse tells you, “I don’t love you anymore.” You don’t know how to respond. You are hurt. You are confused. Your knee-jerk reaction, many times, is to try to win them back. You’ll blame yourself. You’ll cry. You’ll plead. You’ll compromise. You will do whatever it takes to get them. Loose weight. Have more sex. And it will be all wrong.

Many well meaning Christian counselors and pastors encourage the offended spouse to “love” the adulterer more. They’ll help you find out what you did wrong in the marriage. They’ll advise you to be a better wife or husband – to please them more with your love and attention.

Here’s the Deal…

It’s always good to learn more about yourself and your responsibility in the marriage, but now is not the time. You want your spouse to repent. You want your marriage back. Now is the time to prepare for battle. God hates sin. And your spouse has sinned against God and you. God wants you to confront sin in a direct, assertive way (2 Sam. 12:7; Matt. 5:23-24; Matt. 18:15-17; 2 Cor. 13:2; Gal. 2:11; 2 Thess. 3:14-15; Titus 3:10-11). Marriage counselor David Clarke outlines how to do just that. Here’s the beginning of your battle plan:

Step #1: Get Close to God

Attend church regularly. Pray to God – not only spoken prayers, but written prayers as well. Read the Bible and other Christian books. Join a Bible study group.

Step #2: Get a Support Team

Gather a select group of family members and friends to go to battle with you. Make sure at least two of them live close by. Have them pray for you and ask for emotional and possible financial support.

Step #3: Get Angry (and yet do not sin)

Anger will give you power and strength. You will need it as you go through this difficult process. Of course, you are not to be aggressive or violent with your anger, but do use it to fuel your dogged determination.

Step #4: Confront Your Spouse

Before you confront, make sure you are prepared financially. The goal of the confrontation is to bring your spouse to repentance. You will need to be very intentional about what you say and how you say it. Have prayer warriors praying while you confront. This is a difficult step. Here’s some advice on approaching it.

Step #5: Take Action Against the Sin

Have your spouse end the extra-marital relationship. Have your spouse to attend counseling and get an accountability partner of his or her same sex. Have your spouse to confess his sin in detail. You need to know what they did physically, where they did it, and how often they did it. Healing is in the details. But you do not need to know the details of their physical touching, how the acts were performed, the other person’s body, or how they reacted.

Step #6: Work on Your Relationship Together

Up until this point, your spouse should be actively working on their sin and themselves. After this sin is under control, you can began to work on communication and other couples issues.

You Might Be Wondering…

If your spouse refuses to repent, then you will be forced to take more severe actions. This will include confronting with witnesses, shunning, and possibly separating. Matthew 18:15-17 are Jesus’s words about confronting sin which include witnesses, shunning, and separation.

“If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” (Matthew 18:15-17 NRSV)

For Those Who Are Going Through a Very Difficult Affair…

If you or someone you know is going through this kind of ordeal, I recommend them reading David Clarke’s book What To Do When Your Spouse Says, I Don’t Love You Anymore. Dr. Clarke provides a wealth of practical Christian advice that works.

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Posted by Vincent Ketchie | Marriage Counselor

Vincent Ketchie, LPC is a marriage counselor, but also counsels men and teenagers. He is married to Laura. They have a son and two dogs.
His favorite verse is "I have been crucified with Christ, I no longer live but Christ lives within me..." Galatians 2:20